7 Big Mistakes IT Leaders Make when Presenting to Board Members | No. 5’s a Must to Avoid

Mistakes IT Leaders Make when Presenting to Board! According to a Gartner board of directors survey, 88% of board members consider cybersecurity as a business risk. 58% of board members consider digital and technology initiatives as their biggest priority.

7 Mistakes IT Leaders Make when Presenting to Board Members

Additionally, 57% of boards of directors have increased their risk appetite in 2021-2022. This resulted in a major shift from conservative and cautious decision making to a more adventurous one.

Despite all that, we still see a big chunk of IT leaders complain about a lack of funds and buy-in from major stakeholders. Did you know why? Because they fail to present their case in an effective manner in front of board members. They end up making costly mistakes that prevent them from securing the funds and getting the buy-in from board members.

If you are interested in learning about those mistakes so you don’t end up repeating them then, you are at the right place. In this article, Anti-Dos will highlight seven big mistakes IT leaders make when presenting their case in front of board members.

7 Mistakes IT Leaders Make when Presenting to a Board

IT Leaders will be intrigued by the possible mistakes pointed out in this article that they can make when they’re presenting to Board members. Here are seven mistakes IT leaders make when presenting to board members.

  1. Using Technical Jargons

One of the biggest mistakes CIOs can ever make is to bombard board members with technical jargon. It confuses them and makes your case weaker as they think that you are trying to trick them by using jargon-heavy language. You need to be extra cautious about the words and language you use when presenting to board members.

Board members have too much on their plates and they don’t have time to wrap their heads around technical terms. So, you should avoid them from your presentation or keep it down to a bare minimum. They might be thinking about dozens of things already and their attention spans are low.

The worst thing you can do is to confuse them with technical terms that they don’t understand. Communicate your point in concise and simple language so they get the crux of your message instead of thinking about what you just said.

  1. Depending Heavily on Cyber Risk Reporting

CIOs tend to rely heavily on cybersecurity tools for reporting. They highlight cybersecurity risks that are identified by cybersecurity tools. Sadly, these cybersecurity tools are not perfect. They usually take a one size fits all approach to risk remediation.

What they don’t take into account is that every risk is different and what works for one type of risk might not work for another type of risk. You need to adopt a custom approach and react to each risk differently.

Your risk tool might rank risks based on scores that usually lack context so heavily depending on them could be a big mistake as they don’t provide you with a clear picture. As an IT leader, your job is to do everything your power to protect critical business assets and prevent business disruption.

  1. Miscalculating Threat Impact

CISOs tend to care more about cybersecurity threats. While business leaders are more interested in learning about their impact on their business. This creates a disconnect between cybersecurity leaders and board members. You should bridge that gap as an IT leader in order to convey your message effectively.

Both security leaders and business leaders should be on the same page. You should track your performance based on the key performance indicators that the board members care about.

If you can show them how your cybersecurity team can contribute towards minimizing risk exposure of the organization and reduce the losses the businesses have to bear due to cybersecurity incidents, then they will surely push their weight behind your team.

  1. Unprepared to Answer Questions

One of the biggest reasons why cybersecurity leaders fail to get the green signal from board members is that they are not well prepared to answer their questions. IT leaders usually get caught off guard when board members ask them questions.

That is why it is important to spend a lot of time preparing for your presentation. Anticipate which questions your board members can ask and even prepare for less expected questions so you can provide them with a satisfying answer to their questions. Sometimes, the board members can create new questions from the answers so you should also be prepared for it.

  1. Sharing Too Much Information (One of the Most Common Mistakes IT Leaders Make when Presenting to Board)

Always be careful when you are using fear, uncertainty and doubt to your advantage in a board meeting or presentation because it can come back to haunt you later on.

Clearly explain the root cause of the problem to board members, provide them with multiple solutions to the same problem and provide recommendations on which solution could be the best. Never play the blame game or indulge in a confrontation during a board meeting as it can backfire more often than not.

  1. Failure to Present Cybersecurity as an Enabler

Board members think of cybersecurity as a cost center and your goal is to convince them to change their mindset about cybersecurity. IT leaders should project cybersecurity in such a way that board members should start looking at it as a business enabler and facilitator, not just a cost center.

Instead of overwhelming board members with a long list of technical needs such as buying a DDoS protected dedicated server, you should make them visualize how it can deliver value to your business and increase your revenue.

Once board members start looking at cybersecurity as a revenue-generating functional unit or facilitator, the stance of board members will change in your favour.

  1. Not Building Relationships Outside the Board is also Among the Mistakes IT Leaders Make when Presenting to Board

Just having relationships with board members is not enough. You will have to first build rapport. For that, you will have to create relationships with people even outside the board of directors.

Most cybersecurity leaders don’t do that and lose out on an opportunity to influence board members through their close aides. It will also help you in understanding the context and board member likes and dislikes in a much better way.

Which is the biggest mistake you have ever made as an IT leader when presenting in front of board members? Share it with us in the comments section below.

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